The present invention relates generally to insulated coolers, and specifically to a thermally insulated device designed to keep a two-liter bottle of liquid satisfactorily cold for approximately six hours or more.
The two-liter bottle has become a standard and popular container for holding all types of liquids. While the two-liter bottle is lightweight and shatter-resistant, such containers have a limited ability to maintain the temperature of the liquids they contain. Thermal devices have been formed in many shapes and sizes in attempts to maintain these liquids at a desired temperature. For instance, Thermos(copyright) brand vacuum containers are world renowned for keeping coffee hot, and iced tea cold. It is also customary to place a beverage container inside an ice chest in order to keep the liquid in the beverage container cool. While it is known to keep poured liquids cool in a Thermos(copyright) brand vacuum container, or two-liter bottles of liquid cool in a chest of ice, there are relatively few references disclosing devices or methods to keep a two-liter bottle of liquid cool in a rugged, yet lightweight, outer container. Yet such a container would enable an entire two-liter bottle to be pulled out of the container either to be recycled when emptied, or to be placed back into the refrigerator upon return home from a picnic.
Vacuum containers are useful, but the contents of the two-liter bottle must be poured into the container, and thus wasted if not fully consumed. Further, the mere act of pouring out the contents of the two-liter bottle into the vacuum container significantly reduces the amount of carbonation in, for example, the poured soda and generally causes the soda to become flat, thus ruining the soda""s flavor. Further, vacuum containers are not rugged and quite susceptible to damage unless surrounded by a thick and sometimes heavy insulated jacket. Large Styrofoam(copyright) block type coolers are also inadequate for cooling two-liter bottles. They are cumbersome to carry and require bags of ice which add expense and weight to the endeavor. Using typical plastic type pitchers filled with ice is also inadequate, because as the ice melts, the beverage becomes watered down.
Representative patents of portable coolers include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,148,682 to Wolf and 4,338,795 to House Jr. describing devices and methods for forming ice around bottled beverage containers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,851 to Bryant describes a motorized unit that will rapidly cool a canned or bottled beverage by spinning the beverage container in ice creating a frictional contact between the container and the ice within the cooling compartment.
Other variations of coolers have been proposed for reducing the need for ice or motorized units. One such variation is to pre-freeze the portable cooler itself prior to use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,808 to Babb et al. discloses a threaded top two-liter bottle cooler/insulator that is placed into a freezer prior to use. Whereas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,746 to Thompson describes a multi-piece insulated cooler, wherein each piece is pre-frozen before use.
Another cooling technique is to replace conventional ice with another type of freezable material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,992 to Bell discloses a cooler that uses ice blocks to keep a two-liter bottle cool, which ice blocks must be placed in a freezer and frozen prior to use. While, U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,267 to Thompson is a complex device formed from molded plastic and having solid side walls or double co-axial side walls filled with Blue Ice(copyright), frozen water and the like to retain temperature.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,858 to Augur, the combination single bottle cooler and liquid container, duplicates some characteristics in other containers by combining base, shoulder, and cap portions formed from thermal insulation material. Such a combination eliminates the need for ice, but can be complicated to use as extra parts may be lost or misplaced.
As is clear, many of the above referenced insulators are heavy and cumbersome, perhaps useful on a nearby picnic, but certainly not on a camping trip. Other insulators must be pre-frozen or filled with ice or ice-substitutes in order to keep contents cool. Yet this severely hampers the ease of use of these types of insulators. Many coolers also have more than one integral piece, yet with each additional piece, the chances rise that one or more of the separate pieces will be lost.
Therefore, it can be seen that a need yet exists for a temperature control device designed to keep a two-liter bottle cold, being lightweight yet durable, and capable of overcoming the numerous disadvantages in other designs. It is to such a cooling device that the present invention is primarily directed.
Briefly described, in a preferred form, the present invention is an innovative temperature control device designed to keep a contained two-liter bottle cold for long periods of time. The present temperature control device comprises an annular column of one-inch styrene encased within a flexible liner of styrene. The annular column of styrene forms a container having an interior cavity for placement of the two-liter bottle. The column of styrene also has a cover of the same. The exterior portion of the polyvinyl chloride is additionally covered by a 1000 denier nylon wrap.
The present preferred temperature control device is cylindrical in shape, measures 14xc2xcxe2x80x3 in height and 6xe2x85x9exe2x80x3 in diameter, and includes hand and shoulder straps for upright carrying, plus additional straps for the convenience of a backpacker. The cover of the device is hingedly connected to the container via the nylon wrap, and opens easily to enable the sliding within of a two-liter bottle. The nylon wrap additionally includes a zipper, enabling the nylon wrap to be opened or closed, fastening the cover to the cylindrical container. The entire device is light weight, weighing only 11.4 oz., including handles, straps and friction type clamp buckles.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the innovation is not limited to keeping two-liter bottles cold or to the fields of sporting events, camping, and backpacking. Other embodiments are also possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Additional features and advantages of the temperature control device disclosed herein are apparent from, or will be set forth in, the detailed descriptions provided hereinafter.
A principle object of the present invention is to provide an insulated cooler capable of maintaining inserted receptacles of liquid at substantially constant temperatures.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a lightweight but durable cooler that can easily be carried by a backpacker.
Yet another object of the present invention is a lightweight unit capable of keeping a beverage cold during outings or sporting events.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.